


Black Magic

by princessofpoldark



Category: Poldark (TV 2015), Poldark - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, and magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-08-14 16:47:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8021500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessofpoldark/pseuds/princessofpoldark
Summary: Prudie gives Demelza a little helping hand in catching Ross's attention.





	Black Magic

**Author's Note:**

> I think I wrote this fic around halloween last year? It probably makes more sense in that context but I found it on my hard drive and thought, hey I should put it out there and let the world have some joy before the rest of season 2 destroys everyone.
> 
> Shout out to the very wonderful and talented xxsparksxx for being my beta and correcting my horrible grammar. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

 

She felt his breath on her neck. His callused fingers wound their way from her back to her waist, clasping her to him.

 

“Demelza,” he said softly, her name falling from his lips like a prayer.

 

His hot mouth seared to her throat.

 

“Yes, Ross,” she drew in a ragged breath.

 

\-----

 

Prudie’s peering black eyes had followed her that entire afternoon.

 

“What’s the matter wi’ ee?”

 

“Nothin’.”

 

“Yee got a face like a smacked arse. What did Fathur say?”

 

Demelza thought about lying but figured Prudie was as close to a friend as she had in the world and she was at her wits’ end, trying to work out what was to be done.

 

“He wanted me to go home with him. Say’s there’s talk.”

 

“Talk of you an’ Mr. Ross?”

 

“Yes. Likely just an excuse for me to skivvy for ‘im again.”

 

Prudie tisked, “That bastard. After beatin’ ya black an’ blue most nights.”

 

Demelza nodded fervently, thankful to have someone on her side.

 

“I can’t go back Prudie! I belong ‘ere!”

 

“Per’aps Mr. Ross’ll refuse.”

 

“Oh, I don’t matter to him like that, he’d as soon send me off then make another fuss.”

 

Prudie sighed. “Well lass, we’ll ‘ave to make you matter to ‘im!”

 

Demelza frowned. “How’d we do that?”

 

\------

 

Ross was crouched over her, his wild hair tickling her lower stomach. 

 

He kissed the inside of her left thigh, tracing a pattern upwards with the tip of his tongue. 

 

She shuddered, her entire body enflamed by the lightest touch. 

 

He chuckled softly to himself at her response. Demelza was so unlike the coy sophisticated women he had bedded before, she gave into her sensations with abandon.

 

He gently spread her legs as far as they could comfortably go. Then slowly swept his tongue from bottom to top, the length of her, causing another shudder to radiate through her body.

 

\------

 

Prudie handed her a small apothecary bottle. Inside was an opaque liquid, with the consistency of blood and the stench of turpentine.

 

“One drop of that in ‘is brandy tonight lass.”

 

“Prudie! We’s not poisoning Ross!”

 

Prudie clucked at Demelza, “I know we ain’t girl! Tha’s no poison. Tis a potion.”

 

“A potion? Like…a magic potion?” she asked with a heavy dose of scepticism. 

 

“Well, I don’ know ‘bout dat. I bought it, twenty ro year ago now. Off a gypsy woman down Redruth fair.”

 

“What’s the potion supposed to do?”

 

“Tis a love potion you silly chit! To get Mr. Ross to see you as a woman-like.”

 

“A love potion? Judas!”

 

“Now, it only works for one night mind, so don’t go expectin’ marriage proposals and the like.”

 

“Well, how is one night gonna help me?”

 

“You’re to seduce him. Mr Ross would never throw yee out after beddin’ ya. He’d be racked with guilt, the silly fool.”

 

“But-”

 

“What’s your other option girl? You want to go back to ya Pa and the belt every night?”

 

Demelza nodded solemnly. “Alrigh’, I’ll do it.”

 

\------

 

Demelza rolled over in the bed to face the door. Ross was still sleeping. 

 

This was it, the night was over.

 

Now she would have to get up and go about her day as if nothing had happened. 

 

She ordered her body to slip out of bed, to slip into her dress and tip toe towards the door. 

 

She did not dare look over her shoulder one last time.

 

It would break her heart.

 

\-------

 

He cupped her face so gently, his thumbs roaming over her cheeks reverently.

 

Their eyes glued to each other, as if trying to read every flicker of emotion that passed through those orbs. 

 

She’d never felt like this before. So wanted.

 

Everything else was a blur really, an instinctual dance of two bodies, melding together and moving together in a rhythm that felt natural and right. Not a sin, as her father had said, but the closest thing to heaven she could get.

 

When he came, it was with her name dripping off his lips like a caress.

 

\------

 

She waited up for him.

 

Jud and Prudie were already abed, having spent most of the night necking the last of the ale.

 

Demelza had shuffled around his study as the sun set, fingering all the exotic contents with a kind of devotion she could only feel for Ross.

 

Ross had saved her, she had only led half a life before him. 

 

The thought of tricking him like this was abhorrent to her, but she had no choice really. She could not live like that any more, not now he’d shown her what life could be like. 

 

And maybe he’d forgive her. 

 

Maybe

 

\-----

 

Ross woke late.

 

The sun was already high in the sky by the time he was washed and dressed and thumping down the stairs calling for Demelza.

 

Prudie yelled up from the kitchen. “She’s outside feedin’ the pig.”

 

Ross nodded in thanks as he made his way past her, and ran out towards the yard where he saw her.

 

She was dressed in the yellow cotton dress he’d bought for her in Truro, as he’d seen her a hundred times before. Her hair, as wild and unkempt as his own, was down today, blowing softly in the breeze as she walked towards him.

 

Ross had always felt a tad ambivalence about Demelza’s beauty. It was obvious to most everyone that she was indeed, beautiful, perhaps not in the refined elegant ways of Elizabeth but in her own, more radiant way.  But Demelza had been off limits for him. So he had placed her beauty in a box and not dwelt on it. How foolish that seemed now. 

 

“Demelza. You sneaked away.”

 

Demelza’s forced cheery disposition faltered. “I had chores.”

 

“Yes, well, they can wait until after we talk. surely.”

 

She sighed, “Sur-”.

 

“ _ Ross. _ ” he corrected

 

Demelza frowned, “…. I’m your servant.”

 

Ross’s brows knit together with the brooding intensity she recognised . 

 

“Demelza, things can not be as they were between us anymore.”

 

She looked startled and uncomfortable, eyes glued to the ground. 

 

“I understand.”

 

“Damn it! Demelza, I don’t think you do.” He stepped forward and took her in his arms and kissed her.

 

Everything between them was so awkward. 

 

But this, this heat between them? This was never awkward. Their bodies melded together as naturally and perfectly as the tide coming in. Powerful and graceful all at once.

 

He felt like he could not explain how or why he’d kissed her last night. Just that, once he had, he could not stop, would not stop for all the world. There was something between them now, powerful and binding.

 

When he pulled out of the kiss, his hands in her hair, his breathing ragged and looked into her liquid blue eyes he knew she felt it too.

 

“I’ll speak to Reverend Odgers about getting the banns read.”

 

“What?” Demelza asked in a daze.

 

“Well, we have to be married.”

 

“What? Wait… What?”

 

“You do not wish to marry me? I don’t suppose I snore too loudly-”

 

“Ross! You can’t possibly want to marry me!”

 

“I just said I did. I am sure you heard me.”

 

“Yes but..But... Oh damn it! Prudie said it was only for one night!”

 

“Prudie? “

 

“Oh Judas, what have I done!”

 

“Yes, what have you done?”

 

“Oh Ross, please forgive me!” And she let out a monstrous sob.

 

\----

 

In the intervening hours she had drunk half a bottle of Ross’ finest port. 

 

Bored of waiting she had decided to once again try on the blue silk dress she’d found at the bottom of a trunk in the study. She loved the feel and the weight of the garment. She loved the way the skirts swished against the floorboards as she walked. She loved the way the cold silk felt against her flushed skin. She loved how powerful and beautiful she felt in it. 

 

It was almost midnight when she heard the kitchen door bang shut.

 

\------

 

“You poisoned me?” Ross sounded more confused than angry.

 

“Yes-no-sort of. You see I was so desperate to avoid bein’ sent back.”

 

“I would never have sent you back to him!”

 

“See, how was I to know that?” 

 

“You could have asked! Before poisoning me!” he said through a smirk.

 

“Oh Ross! I did not  _ mean _ to poison you, t’was just a small potion.” 

 

“Christ, Demelza! Who knows what was in that thing!”

 

“Well, it’s not seem to done you any great harm, other than the mind-control.”

 

Ross laughed, “Mind-control? Really, Demelza?”

 

She huffed in annoyance, “Well, you weren’t proposing to me _ before  _ the potion.”

 

Ross shrugged, “I’m more worried that you gave me twenty year old mud water.”

 

“Oh t’was much worse than mud, the stench of the thing. To be honest I’m that surprised you didn’t notice - your brandy smelt like the devil.”

 

Ross groaned. “I am reconsidering the idea of marrying you the more you go on.”

 

“So, you don’t think you’re in love with me then?”

 

Ross smirked, “Oh, I can promise you that is not the case right now.”

 

Demelza sighed in relief. 

 

“Well….I’ll marry you then,” shereplied reluctantly.

 

“How you do flatter me,” Ross drawled, pulling her in for a kiss.

 

“Wait! - Twenty years! That means Prudie used the spell on Jud! Jud! Can you imagine!” 

 

Ross shuddered, “I’m trying not to.”

 

\--------

 

“Demelza! Fetch me a drink will you?”

 

“Yes Sur,”  Demelza demurred.

 

He had his back to her, facing the fire in the parlour so could not see as she poured out the entire black bottle into his glass. 

 

_ By God I hope this works. _

 


End file.
